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History
The World of Vayra has a long and tumultuous history, spanning from the birth of the material plane during the Age of Creation into the dominance of the mortal races during the Age of the Populi, or the current age as it is presently known. This page will detail the creation myth of Vayra, as well as give a brief history of each age leading up to the present. Age of Creation Not much is fully known about the Age of Creation, beyond that the barrier between the gods and the rest of reality was nearly non-existant. During the age an event scholars call "The Great Schism" or "The First War of the Divine" caused the once homogenous universe to split into its constituent parts and separate from each other, creating the material, elemental and all planes known today. Sadly very little information has come down to us, as civilization was not yet fully formed and most societies had not discovered the written word, still relying on oral traditions to pass down their histories. This combined with the events known as "The Sundering" at the end ot the Age of the Magi destroyed much of the extant histories, leaving scholars with little to no primary or contemporary sources to draw from. The Great Schism The only histories about The Great Schism that come down to us are from the Arakhoran Elves, many of whom maintain their oral traditions down from the Age of the Divine. The gods spoke of a Great War between themselves and a mad God. The resulting conflict shattered the nature of the existence, and reshaped it into the planes we know today. As reality reformed the Gods found themselves losing their direct connection to the material plane, and used what time they had to create the mortal races in their varied image. After their labours were complete, the gods found themseleves locked away from the fledgling world and forced to watch from a distance as their creations began to form tribal groups and small societies. Age of the Divine ''' Without the direct influence of the Gods, the Age of the Divine began slowly, with societies forming from racial and geographical connections. The earliest nation states, beyond Arakhora and Drugara, are lost to history. However it was during this time that mortals discovered evidence of their creators, and began to worship them with due reverance. This worship allowed a direct connection between the god being worshipped and the worshipper, granting a link that allowed a limited transfer of power. Thus the first Clerics were made. The full details, like all before the Age of Reconstruction, are lost at this point of Vayras' history. However what is known is after the formation of early societies and the founding of organized religion, these proto societies went to war with each other in the name of their gods. Scholars call these events "The Second War of the Divine" or " The Dawn War", where the servants of the nearly innumerable gods fought proxy wars in their name. While not known exactly when, it was during this conflict that the Dawn War pantheon formed and declared supremacy over the other extant pantheons. With the combined might of their servants and societies, the forces of the Dawn War pantheon defeated their belligerants and created the religious hegemony that still exists well into the Age of the Populi. The other gods, bereft of worshippers or places to worship, were severely depowered and continue to languish in the shadows of the outer planes and demi planes. They are known as "The Forgotten Gods" to only the most learned scholars, and as their name implies, are largely forgotten in the current age. While not known why, Vayra was without those capable of harnessing arcane magic for mileannia, relying solely on divine casters for their magical needs. Several sources point to an event where the ability to manipulate arcane magic was discovered. The sources are semi contradictory about details, but at some point through tinkering with ancient planar portals that were made by gods during the very beginning of the Age of the Divine, the abilities to tap into the arcane ley lines of magic were found. This set in motion the events known as "The Second Schism" or "The Fall of the Faithful". '''The Second Schism After the discovery of arcane magic and its adoption by civilized society, technologic and societal changes became rapid and nearly uncontrollable. With the newly empowered arcane users able to provide solutions for problems that were once solely the purview of the clerics of the Dawn War pantheon, faith in the gods and in the pantheon began to wane. What followed was the second religious schism of Vayra, where many temples and religions had their power and influence over the common individual drastically reduced. The Second Schism is the turning point in history where scholars note we entered into a new age. Age of the Magi The resulting societies looked very different from the ones before them, albeit still rooted in religious fundamentalism and a belief in the power of the Dawn War pantheon. Arcane magical knowledge advanced in leaps and bounds, with each nation rushing to develop new technologies and spells that could propel them into a better position than their peers. It was during this time when the nations grew strong, and the structures of the nation states that rule the Age of the Populi began to take hold. Nearing the end of the Age of the Magi, a war took place that is credited with the end of said age and the inadvertent creation of a massive magical hurricane called "The Scar of the Magi" or "The Maelstrom". The war is known today as the "The War of the Magi" and the creation of The Maelstrom and resulting events are known as "The Sundering". War of the Magi The reasons for the War are lost to history, primarily because of the events during The Sundering, but scholars know that the war was the 2nd truly world spanning war, following the Dawn War millenia before it. All nations and nation states became entagled in the conflict, with all belligerants fielding armies in various coalitions that fought each other for territory across the continents. At this point, all three continents, Balthalon, Krovus and Renaliss held pitched battles between different coalitions, with the loss of life and property being unlike anything seen before. The War culminated in the destruction of Renaliss and the creation of the Scar of the Magi. The resulting years of destruction from the creation of the storm, which shifted landscapes and seas around the world, are collectively called "The Sundering". The Sundering After the Battle of Renaliss, and its subsequent destruction, the world struggled to survive through catastrophe after catastrophe. As the energies of the Scar ripped away at the fabric of reality, massive weather and climate catastrophes gripped the land. The very landscape of the remaining continents changed, with mountains pushing their way out of the earth, entire coastlines swamped in rising seas level and powerful storms imbued with chaotic magic ripping apart anything that sat in their path. Any existing power structure was completely decimated in the face of the reality distorting onslaught. Civilized society was nearly impossible, and the leftovers of old nation states were forced adapt to the changes, with many failing and falling into the obscurity of pre-Sundering history. After a decade of destruction, the world began to settle and the storm abated into what is now present in the Age of Populi. The Scar, while still incredibly dangerous, was no longer constantly rocking the planet with massive weather events. It instead went into a type of dormancy, with chaotic magical storms still being propogated outwards, but no more earthquakes or massive climate events taking place. The surviving socities were able to pick up the pieces and begin the rebuilding effort. Age of Reconstruction The rebuilding effort slowed down societal progress immensely, and is where history once again has reliable contemporary and primary sources to draw from. The nations that existed post sundering were Arakhora, Drugara, Polvo and Vanmara on the continent of Balthalon. The tribal societies of Orcs, Goliaths and Firbolgs held control over what was left of their ancestral lands on Krovus. The former nations of the Gnomes, Halflings and Dragonborn were nearly wiped out when Renaliss was destroyed during the Sundering. The diaspora of their remaining peoples led to the creation of The Republic of Radelic (Dragonborn) in a newly formed archipelago southeast of the former continent, and Valkas (Gnomes/Halflings) on the eastern side of Krovus. Major events during the Age of Reconstruction are as follows: - Formation of the Republic of Radelic and the new dragonborn nation - Formation of the Octarine Consortium, a group of powerful arcane magi who tasked themselves with the upkeep of the arcane ley lines, policing of the use of said ley lines and watching over the now semi dormant Scar - Formation of Valkas and the start of the racial fued between the indigenous peoples of Krovus and new city state - Breakup of Vanmara into 2 separate nations: Vanmar and Marakaj - The High Elves of Arakhora breaking away from their wood elf kin and their diaspora to the north of Balthalon, were the independant nation state of Temren Taesi was formed - Territory of Drugara drastically reduced by wars of conquest by Polvo and Arakhora - Creation of the island nation of the Minotaur peoples, and their discovery by the other nations As rebuilding was nearing completion, history entered into a new age, one of mortal races and their struggles. It is in this age we find ourselves, known today of the Age of the Populi.